Michigan First Aid: What you need to know

Michigan has adopted the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) standards for first aid in general industry workplaces in both the private and public sectors (MI Admin. Code Sec. 325.47201et seq.). The state has adopted first-aid standards for construction workplaces that are stricter than federal standards (MI Admin. Code Sec. 408.40132).

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In addition to the federal standard, Michigan’s construction standard adds the following first-aid requirements of its own:

• Where a remote location or a single employee worksite exists, an employer must provide a written plan that includes alternate methods of ensuring available treatment for employees at a remote location or single-employee worksite.

• The plan has to be communicated to all affected employees.

• A consulting physician must approve the contents of a first-aid kit.

In addition to standards that govern first-aid procedures in the workplace, OSHA sets strict guidelines for the handling of human blood (to prevent the spread of disease via bloodborne pathogens).

A physician, registered professional nurse, licensed practical nurse, or hospital personnel who in good faith renders emergency care at the scene of an emergency, where a medical professional-patient relationship did not exist before the advent of the emergency, and the hospital duty of the professional does not require a response to the situation, is not liable for civil damages as a result of acts or omissions in rendering the emergency care, unless they amount to gross negligence or willful and wanton misconduct (MI Comp. Laws Sec. 691.1501, Sec. 691.1502).